Simply defined, your metabolism is the amount of energy your body uses to burn off the food you have consumed. Metabolism never stops; it is constant no matter what you are doing. The process itself is quite complex, various chemical reactions take place as food is processed, however, the speed and efficiency of this process can be adjusted through your actual diet.

If you have struggled through dieting to increase muscle while losing fat, it is highly likely to be a direct result of your metabolic rate actually slowing down and storing fat instead of speeding up. The change is likely attributed to many of the fad diets that are out there today. The fact is your metabolism feeds off of two main sources of energy - protein and carbohydrates.

Most fad diets are actually anti- protein and anti- carb, thus your metabolism is robbed of the fuel it needs to speed up. Your body reads this as a signal of starvation, and your metabolic rate actually slows down. The result is increased fat storage as your body does wants to store as much fat as possible "in case of emergency."

You can raise your body's metabolic rate by eating a diet rich in protein and carbohydrates. One key, though, is eating the right kind of carbohydrates and proteins to foster weight loss. Two things to avoid at all costs are processed and refined foods, for example breads that are made with processed flours and sugars. These unnatural ingredients are disastrous to your metabolism.

Go for whole grain breads that are made with unprocessed ingredients, and also contain a good amount of fiber. Fiber helps along the processing of food and helps your metabolism become more efficient. For proteins, the best sources are not necessarily that ribeye steak or hamburger. Look to foods such as fish, nuts (especially almonds) and natural lean beef to get the protein your fat burning metabolism craves.

For any weight loss program to be successful, your metabolism must be given a jump start. One great way to accomplish this, along with your diet changes, is light weight lifting. Lean muscle works harder to burn calories, giving your metabolism another little boost. In order to lose weight permanently, building lean muscle and changing your diet to natural foods will increase your metabolism, burning more calories than you take in.

A popular method of diet is to stick with the three large meals per day approach, and just cut back on portions at those meals. This is actually counterintuitive to increasing your metabolic rate as only fueling three times per day, and at reduced calories, will cause the body to think food is at a shortage and fat storage increases.

Instead, eat as many as six times per day, only smaller portions each time. This reduces the number of calories introduced at any one time, and your body eventually is trained to understand it can burn off many of those calories immediately, as they will be replaced again very soon. Couple this with the increased muscle mass, which burns more calories, and your body will start to turn into a calorie burning machine.

A common misconception is that if you are overweight, your metabolism is slow to begin with - however, your metabolism is actually very fast as the body works to burn as many excess calories as possible. A change in diet alone will yield quick results early on, as your metabolism keeps processing calories as quickly as possible, but your intake is now lower than normal. Eventually, though, and adjustment will be made and your rate will slow down. This explains why it seems easy to lose weight early and not later in a diet program. Healthy proteins, carbohydrates, sensible exercise, and some lean muscle is the key to sustained weight loss.

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